Oven door



y 1968 J. E. DAVIS ET AL 3,384,072

OVEN DOOR Filed Jan. 19, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGI INVENTORS JAMES E. DAVIS JOHN T. DONER ATTORNEYS.

y 21, 1968 .1. E. DAVIS ET AL 3,384,072

OVEN DOOR Filed Jan. 19, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG?) |4 |8 I l5 l0 United States Patent 3,384,072 OVEN DOOR James E. Davis and John T. Donor, Marion, Ohio, as-

signors to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 19, 1967, Ser. No. 610,354 8 Claims. (Cl. 126-200) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An oven door having aligned viewing apertures in outer and inner frame sections with each aperture covered by a glass pane for viewing the interior of the oven and with a continuous spacer and seal member between the panes that supplies sealing pressure to each pane and that prevents fluids from entering between the panes and within the confines of the spacer and seal member.

The invention here is embodied in an oven door com prising an outer frame section and an inner frame section spaced apart and each having an aligned observation opening for viewing the interior of the oven from the exterior. In each frame section means are provided for yieldably securing a transparent means such as a glass sheet or pane to span each opening. Means are provided for securing the two frame sections together with the panes in aligned spaced relationship and there is provided an intermediate and continuous substantially fluid impervious spacer and seal member means between the panes ex-. tending around the openings adjacent thereto and yieldably bearing against the panes so as to urge them away from each other and provide a dead air space between the panes and within the confines of the intermediate spacer and seal member.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment of the invention. Of the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of an oven door embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational View thereof.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing the rear of a detail of the inner part of the door of FIGURES l4.

FIGURE 6 is similar to FIGURE 5 but showing the opposite side thereof.

The oven door embodiment shown in the drawings comprises an assembly of an outer section 10, exposed to the exterior of the oven (not shown), an inner section 11 at the interior of the oven and an intermediate section 12 between the sections and 11 serving as a spacer and seal member means. Each of these sections which is made up of a plurality of parts can be individually and independently assembled and then the three sections assembled together in completing the door.

The outer section 10 comprises a frame 13 defining an observation opening and which may be made of an extruded metal such as aluminum, a sheet of transparent material such as plate glass 14 secured in the frame 13, a rubber, edge enclosing, resilient bumper 15 and a sheet metal retainer 16 at each of the four corners of the glass, each held in position by a screw 17 extending through the retainer 16 into the frame 13. As can be seen in FIG- URES 3 and 4, the frame 13 has an inner edge portion 18 around the edge of the glass 14 and cooperating with the retainer 16 to hold the glass in position. The outer side 19 of the frame 13 forms a flat outer edge of the door and integral therewith is an inwardly extending 3,384,072 Patented May 21, 196E flange 20 to which the inner section 11 of the door i. fastened as by'a plurality of screws 21.

The inner section 11 of the door comprises an innedoor panel 22 attached to the flange 20 by the screws 21 and having at its periphery an inwardly extending flangt 23 located adjacent and inwardly of the side 19 of tilt door. The inner section 11 also comprises a side fram 24 which is attached to the inner surface of the panel 2: as indicated at 25 with the frame 24 being generally L-shaped in cross section as shown most clearly in FIG URES 3 and 6.

The inner door panel 22 of the inner section 11 pre sents an inwardly raised part 26 which encloses the pe ripheral edge of a second transparent sheet which ma also be a glass panel 27 covering an observation opening The opposite side edges of the glass panel or pane 27 art provided with a pair of small U-shaped resilient rubbe bumpers 28 (FIGURES 3 and 6) with each being lo cated intermediate the top and bottom edges of the pan 27. These ends 29 are each held within a bracket 30 eacl of which extends along the pane edge 29 and is attachet to the frame 24 by spaced screws 31. As shown in FIG URES 5 and 6, three of these screws 31 are used in th illustrated embodiment at each edge of the glass pane 27 At the sides of the frame 24 there are provided the {W1 side hinges which are not shown completely as they form no part of the present invention but parts of which an illustrated at 32 to illustrate that these hinge parts, al though attached to the inner door section 11, are not at tached to the outer door section 10 so that two section can be independently assembled and then attached to gether by the above described screws 21. These side hing parts and the overlying panel 22 contain bottom sid openings 33 through which the other (and not illustrated hinge parts may extend.

As illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, the outer and inne .glass panes 14 and 27 are spaced apart in order to provid a dead air space 34 sealed by the intermediate section 12 to prevent fluid flow into and out of this space.

The intermediate section 12 is in the form of a resilien metal strip 35 that is continuous to describe a ClOSC'l figure which in the illustrated embodiment is rectangular The rectangular strip 35 has one edge 36 at substantiall right angles to and adjacent the inner surface of the glas panel 27 and a second edge 37 adjacent and at substan tially right angles to the inner surface of the glass pane 14. The portion of the strip 35 between these edges 36 an 37 is at an acute angle to the glass panes 14 and 27, a shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The strip edges 36 and 3' each carry a resilient rubber sealing gasket 38 and whe: the door sections 10 and 11 are assembled together, a shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, th strip 35 is under compression so that sealing pressure i applied to the panes 14 and 27 through the sealing gaske 38.

At the opposite sides of the door at about the mid oin thereof, as shown in FIGURE 3, there is provided on eacl side bracket means comprising a bracket 39 that extend from the strip edge 37 toward but short of the inner sec tion frame 24. This bracket 39 has a flat section 40 lo cated adjacent but spaced from the frame 24. Each 112 section 40 is provided with an opening 41 that surround but is spaced from the center attaching screw 31 on eac side of the door. The flat section 40 and loose fitting oper ing 41 cooperate with the attaching screw 31 serving a locating pins means to locate the rectangular strip 35 wit respect to the glass panes 14 and 27 while permitting rela tive movement between the strip 35 and the glass panes With this arrangement the intermediate section 12 o the door and particularly the distorted resilient rectangula strip 35 and the sealing gaskets 38 provide the dead ai :pace 34 between the glass panes that can be initially illed with dry air so that moisture will not condense on he glass panes and particularly on the inner surface of he outer pane 14 which would of course tend to prevent )bservation of the interior of the oven with which the wen door of this invention is used.

As previously described, the side frame 24 shown in deiail in FIGURES 5 and 6 is a part of the inner door sec- .ion 11. This side frame carries the side glass supporting arackets 30. The side frames 24 also carry top and hotvom glass retainer strips 42 which are also made of metal. as shown in FIGURE 4, these strips 42 enclose the top ind bottom edges of the inner glass pane 27 which is proided with a resilient gasket bumper 43 similar to the :ide bumpers 23. The top and bottom edge strips 42 are attached to the side frame members 24 by the top and ottom attaching screws in the sets of screws 31 in the nwardly raised part 26 and the inner door panel 22 is ittached to the brackets 42 by spaced screws 44.

As can be seen from the above description, the oven loor of this invention provides a sealed dead air space )etween two glass panes so as to prevent moisture conlensation which would obscure viewing the contents of he oven through the glass. The door is made up of an lssembly of three primary separate parts, the outer secion 10, inner section 11 and intermediate section 12. Each of these sections may be separately subassembled 1nd then assembled together to complete the door. When :0 assembled the resilient intermediate section 12 and aarticularly the resilient strip 35 is distorted so as to press )utwardly at the sealing gaskets 38 against the inner sur- :aces of the glass panes 14 and 27.

The outer pane 14 is retained in position against the frame 13 by the four corner glass retainer plates 16 which not only retain the glass 14 in position but strengthen he frame 13 at the joined corners thereof.

Having described our invention as related to the emaodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is our ntention that the invention be not limited by any of the letails of description, unless otherwise specified, but 'ather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as let out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclu- ;ive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows:

1. An oven door, comprising: an outer frame section iaving an observation opening therein; an inner frame section having an observation Opening therein; means for lieldably securing a glass pane in said outer frame secion to span its opening; means for yieldably securing a glass pane in said inner frame section to span its opening; means for securing said frame sections together with said panes in aligned, spaced relationship; and an intermediate, continuous, substantially fiuid imprevious, spacer and seal member means between said panes extending around said openings yieldably bearing against said panes for urging them away from each other and toward their respective frame sections and for providing a dead air space between said panes and within the confines of said intermediate member.

2. The door of claim 1 wherein there are provided bracket means on said intermediate member for positioning said intermediate member relative to a frame section.

3. The door of claim 1 wherein there are provided bracket means on said intermediate member for positioning said intermediate member relative to one frame section and locating means on said one frame section loosely engaging said bracket means.

4. The door of claim 3 wherein said bracket means comprises spaced brackets on said intermediate member extending to adjacent the inner frame section and said locating means comprises pins on said inner frame section loosely engaging said brackets for permitting relative movement therebetween.

5. The door of claim 1 wherein said means for yieldably securing each glass pane comprises a plurality of spaced resilient gasket means embracing the edges of each pane between the respective pane and its frame section.

6. The door of claim 1 wherein said intermediate member comprises a resilient metal strip generally arranged at an acute angle to both panes and having opposite edges each carrying a continuous seal means bearing against the facing surfaces of said panes.

7. The door of claim 6 wherein there are provided spaced brackets on said intermediate member extending from adjacent a frame section to adjacent the opposite frame section and locating means on said opposite frame section loosely engaging said brackets for relative movement therebetween.

8. The door of claim 7 wherein there are provided edge cover means at the outer surface of the outer frame section and the inner surface of the inner frame section hiding said means for yieldably securing a glass pane to its section, the cover means on said other frame section also hiding said pins.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,208,446 9/1965 Hopkins et al 126-200 KENNETH W. SPRAGUE, Primary Examiner. 

